How to Act
by Ksonic
Summary: "They'd end up ruining everything, and Eggman would find out about…this, and then he'd use it against us. You've said that a thousand times, Sonic. But you have no idea how hard it is to pretend I'm a crazy lunatic." "You think your parts hard?" he asked.
1. Prologue

So, just the other day, this random idea popped into my head… So alas, the plan seemed absolutely gorgeous to me, so I had to write it. Yeah, I know this wouldn't happen but…anyway, enjoy! This chapter is set after episode nine of Sonic X. Onwards, march!

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**How to Act **

It was about three a.m. The night was completely silent; no crickets stirred, wind didn't blow through the long grass…nothing. Absolute silence. There was no sign of any life for miles around. A full moon lay behind a shadowy mass of clouds, as did the stars, making the night darker than usual, and more mysterious. No one would want to be outside when it looked so forlorn, so cold and deathly.

Which was exactly what the blue hedgehog wanted.

Slowly, he creeped onto the silent scene, wishing that he could've raced out here, but he knew better. It might've attracted Eggman, which was exactly what he and soon to be Amy would _not_ need. So he had walked here.

Really, he wasn't all that far from Chris' house, actually less than a fourth of a mile. Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to keep quiet and walk at the slowest speed he could muster; fifteen miles an hour. But the park was far enough away from any possible watchers that Sonic felt this was a good enough place for him and Amy to…in a way, reconnect. It had been months since the two of them had been truly alone with each other.

Sighing, wishing that she were already here with him, the blue hedgehog slowly slumped down onto a nearby swing, motioning it to creek slightly as he allowed his legs a small amount of movement through the gravel below.

Suddenly his head was up and his ears cocked this way and that. Smiling softly to himself, he got up from his seat and looked in the direction of the snapped twig, where a young pink hedgehog was slowly walking forward, a smile also playing on her lips.

He couldn't resist. Racing up to her, he quickly slammed his lips into hers, very aware when she just as quickly began kissing him back, putting her arms around his neck as he put his own in her short pink quills. Passion was racing through both of their systems; passion and love that hadn't been able to shoot through their veins for _so_ long. Kissing her once more, the blue hedgehog slowly pulled away just enough so that their lips were still touching, but he could gaze into her jade eyes, and she his own forest green eyes.

A giggle escaped her lips then, a giggle he hadn't heard for a long time. But really, he heard it every day when she chased him around. This giggle was different though. They were in different circumstances. The true circumstances.

"I don't think I could've gone on much longer," the pink hedgehog admitted slowly. "I thought this would be easy." The blue hedgehog frowned slightly, his cocky grin fading for a second.

"Ames," he muttered softly, "I warned you this wouldn't be easy. Heck, I have to keep telling that to myself practically every day. To keep myself from turning to you when you chase me." The pink hedgehog blushed.

"Yeah…" she murmured just as quietly. "I wish I didn't have to act so…"

"Weird?" Sonic finished for her. He kissed her nose gently. "But you're cute when you pummel me with that giant hammer." Again, she blushed, and she shook her head.

"You know what I mean. Sometimes I think the whole group wishes I was normal. And I hate that feeling, Sonic. Why can't they know who I really am?"

"Amy, you know why," the hedgehog replied, sighing. Slowly he removed himself from the embrace and stepped away, turning to the silent night. "If they found out that we were…_together_, and that it was all just a game-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Amy spat, putting a hand on her hip. She glared viciously at the boy in front of her, even though she knew deep down it wasn't his fault. "They'd end up ruining everything, and Eggman would find out about…_this_, and then he'd use it against us. You've said that a thousand times, Sonic. But you have _no_ idea how hard it is to pretend I'm a crazy lunatic, who's just in some fan-girl love with some hero!" Tears were starting to gather in the girl's eyes, and she noted angrily that Sonic hadn't turned back to her yet.

"You think your part's hard?" the blue hedgehog breathed. She could tell he was trying to be gentle, but she knew all of his phases. He was getting upset with her. "Amy," he turned to her then, his face stern enough to make her take a step back in alarm. "Every day, when you chase me, I have to be the bad guy. I have to run away from you, every single day, and pretend I don't care a hoot about you, when really I'm dyin' inside when I see your fake tears, every time I run away."

"You know as well as I do that there's no reason to feel bad about fake emotions!" Amy exclaimed. "Those tears are completely useless. You know I know that you love me." Sonic sighed, exasperated.

"Ames," he whined softly, shaking his head from side to side, making his long quills fall in front of his face. "You just don't get it…"

"And you don't get what it's like to have a fake identity." Sonic looked up then, looking exhausted, and he sighed again before plopping down on the soft grass below him. Amy did the same, only inches away from him. She took his hand slowly in hers, and he squeezed it with every ounce of love for her he had.

"I'm sorry, Amy," he whispered, after a thoughtful silence between the two of them. "I guess it would be hard to act the way you do…" Amy sighed understandingly.

"But your act is hard too," she muttered. "I mean, it was a _huge_ risk to dive in after me today at the beach." Sonic frowned and looked at her sadly.

"What else was I supposed to do?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "No one else would've dived in after you. No one else is in love with you."

"Not the same way, no," Amy replied slowly. "But Cream's like a sister to me, and Tails a brother. Someone would've tried to save me."

"The word's 'tried', Amy," Sonic huffed. "They would've been too late to save you, when everything came down to it. I was the closest one to you, so I had to do what I had to do."

"But you could've drowned!" Amy cried. "And Eggman could've thought-"

Sonic pressed a finger in front of her lips suddenly, smiling gently at her. Blinking in confusion, the pink hedgehog was a bit taken aback when he removed his finger, cupped her chin with his hand, and kissed her.

But the confusion didn't last for long, and Amy allowed herself to be pulled into bliss, along with Sonic, as their kiss became more loving. A few minutes passed, and then Sonic pulled away gently.

Again, the two gazed into each others eyes, lost within their own shared world. All Amy could feel was Sonic's warm breath on her lips, and all Sonic could feel were Amy's hands somewhere in his quills.

"I know Eggman could've figured it out," Sonic whispered lovingly. Amy closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into his warm chest. Lying down in the grass, the blue hedgehog pulled her closer to himself before continuing. "He could've figured it out from the instant I started loving you."

"Really," Amy admitted, "I think he knows enough to kidnap me already. I mean, what kind of a guy would put up with someone like _me_?" Sonic shrugged.

"Someone might be able to," he figured, shifting his gaze up to the night sky, still covered with clouds. "I mean, I _am_ a very nice guy, and I try to treat everyone kindly."

"Yeah, well, if I were you I would've already lectured the girl to the point that she was still my friend, but never attacked me." Sonic laughed out loud.

"Well," he started, "You do have more of a temper problem then me…" Amy smacked him playfully, and the blue hedgehog whined pitifully, rubbing his arm for a minute before sighing contently. A comforting silence fell between the two love birds, until suddenly Amy said,

"Sonic? What if he does figure it out completely? What if he does end up kidnapping me and hurting me like you've said could happen if he ever knew?" The blue hedgehog didn't respond for a moment, and Amy bit her lip. She already knew the real answer. He didn't know. Really, their plan about keeping their relationship a secret to keep Amy safe from any possible Eggman plans, was pretty shabby. It could blow up to pieces with just one wrong move on either of their parts. If Sonic hinted even once more that he felt anything towards her, Eggman could put two and two together. If Amy stopped chasing him for even a second, everyone would either think she was sick or something was up.

"I'd save you, like usual." His answer was so sudden that Amy practically jumped in his arms. Slowly the words sunk in, and she smiled broadly. Of course he'd save her. He always did, and it always worked.

"What if the others found out about my real personality?" Another silence, but this time it wasn't so awkward.

"I'd tell them that if they told a soul I'd kill every single one of them in a second." The blue hedgehog smiled smugly to himself while Amy giggled softly within his chest, sending butterflies up in his stomach. It had been so long since they'd been able to be real with each other. This was like Heaven to both hedgehogs.

And then, of course, all heck broke loose.

"Amy?" The voice sent both hedgehogs into panic mode, and they anxiously glanced around, their eyes both ending up on none other than young Cream.

"Prepare for 'what if, act seven'," Sonic muttered softly into Amy's ear, and she nodded. They had this all under control.

"Cream?" Amy's voice went up, and she about pulled away from Sonic's arms, but stopped herself. Looking back up at him she smiled broadly and the blue hedgehog grimaced, pulling away from her himself. Cream looked at the two of them in a confused manner.

"Uh, Amy…?" The young rabbit's voice was startled, full of the confusion written across her face as Sonic raced off without looking back. Amy turned to her, smiling broadly. But her eyes were empty.

"Cream… He…"

"What happened?" Cream practically squealed, excitement coursing through her veins.

"Well…I think he likes me!" Okay, those weren't the words rehearsed in her mind. Cream looked at her in a puzzled way.

"Yeah, we've established that," she said slowly. "What did he do?" Amy mentally shook her head, telling herself to snap out of it and get into character.

"Well…You see, I came out here to think things through, about you know…the beach." Amy forced herself to smile kindly at the rabbit and not to cry, knowing that she was lying to her own sister. "And when I entered the park, there was Sonic, in a tree!" Cream gasped.

"Keep going!" Amy put on a playful face, mixed in with sternness, and she hoped she wasn't going too far out of character when she said,

"I'll tell you on the way back, Cream. It's late. Why aren't you in bed?"

"I was thirsty, and I noticed you weren't at home so…"

Good. The move had been a safe one.

"But go on! What happened next?" Cream cried out as she and Amy slowly made their ways back to Chris' home.

Meanwhile, not far away, hidden within a pine tree, Sonic smiled sadly at the retreating girls.

"That's my Ames," he muttered to himself, and then he leaped out of the tree, hardly making a sound, and raced off into the wind in the opposite direction of the girls, trying not to let his emotions get ahead of him. Amy was being kept safe this way, he reminded himself. He couldn't ruin it for both of them. And with that thought, he picked up speed, and continued running away from his _stalker_.

Just as planned.

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As I finished this lil' oneshot up, I was thinking…I could very well make this a longer story. Of course, it wouldn't be related to any of my previous stories. If you like this crazy idea enough to make it into a story about hiding love from everyone else, lemme know! Thanks for reading!

~Ksonic~


	2. the Other Side

List: The Pen Vs The Sword, Flare The Hedgehog, Rugtugba, IHeartSonAmy, Silverdawn2010, Sonic5521, Annabelle Rose the Hedgehog, JonAxDrayda the Belgian Otaku, Shizuku Tsukishima749, and, Pyroboy5000!

Whoo! I finally managed to get past writer's block and its evil curse! Sorry it took so long to update this…but I'm back! Thank you all soo much for your awesome reviews! I loved reading every single one of them. Anyway, let's see where this story gets us, eh? Onwards, march!

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Chapter two

The Other Side

Sonic loved her.

It was very easy to see, really. When Amy attacked him with one of her fierce hugs and he didn't run, it was even easier to tell. Why else would he just stand there and take it? Yes, Sonic was a nice guy, and he usually tried to keep all his friends happy. But the mere fact that he allowed her to squeeze the day lights out of him and to only say, "Amy, can't breath", when deep down he wanted a regular hug, meant he was either nicer than the fox knew, or that he was secretly harboring feelings for the pink hedgehog.

"How could he be in love with her with those hugs though?" Tails muttered, confused. Cream, who sat beside him shrugged.

"Who knows," she replied casually, as she put a washed up starfish on her and Tails' mound of sand that they declared their 'sandcastle.' "Maybe he's only seeing her other side."

"Her other side?" Tails echoed, confusion crossing his features, and Cream looked up.

"Yes, Tails," she replied. "Her other side. I mean, she's not _always_ attacking him. There are times when they can share a peaceful smile with no hammer in sight."

"Yeah, well that's rare Cream," Tails huffed, and he leaned back against the rocky wall behind him. Sighing, the fox allowed himself to focus his gaze on the vast ocean, only feet from him. Somewhere, he knew Amy was wandering around the beach, probably sulking to herself that Sonic wasn't there with them. She had just woken up a few minutes ago after Sonic had pulled her out of the water, and she had insisted on going on her walk alone. Cream, who could read Amy like a book, knew that Amy really just needed time alone, so she had come down here, on the beach to spend time with Tails, and Chris. Chris, however, had decided to go off swimming, so that left just Cream and Tails.

"Why'd he dive after her?" Tails questioned. "He can't swim, and I'm amazed he was able to enough to do so." Again, Cream shrugged, as she vaguely watched Cheese as he swam by Chris, the chao seeming to love the ocean more than the sandy beach.

"He sure is a mystery," Cream commented. Tails sighed and picked up a random pink sea shell by his foot, gazing at it in the dimming light.

"Hey," he started, "didn't Amy make some kind of bracelet for Sonic out of shells like this?" Cream nodded, and the kit continued. "What do you think happened to it? I saw Sonic reach for it in my plane…"

"Amy probably lost it in the sea," Cream murmured sadly. "She looked for it in her hand when she woke up and began crying when she didn't see it." Tails bit his lip. He didn't like knowing his friend was in pain.

"You sure we shouldn't go comfort her?" Tails had asked this question before, when Cream had first gotten there, so he automatically knew her answer.

"No. She just needs to be alone. That is all."

Sonic wasn't at supper that night.

It was expected by them all, really. He had just shown a different side to Amy. He had _swam_ and saved her. And the blue hedgehog would know that Amy would want to pummel him and thank him over and over if he got too close to her. So when supper began late that night, an empty seat made them all more aware of what had happened that day.

Sonic had risked his life for Amy.

But as they began eating away at their meal, Amy seemed just as talkative as normal, cheerful, even. She didn't seem to notice Sonic's absent seat, and Tails chanced confused glances at Cream regularly, who merely shrugged. Tails resisted rolling his eyes. Cream was getting good at shrugging.

Finally, Chris couldn't stand it any longer.

"Uh, Amy?" the young boy started slowly, wondering if he should even bring the topic up. "Why're you so…cheerful?" Amy looked at him in a confused manner, until suddenly something seemed to click in her mind.

"Oh, um, well," she said awkwardly, staring down at her plate, "I trust he'll come back sooner or later. That's all."

No one needed to ask who 'he' was, but everyone was asking themselves the same question: Why was she acting so carefree about his return that was sure to be awkward?

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Cream was awake, thinking about getting up for a glass of water, when suddenly Amy was crawling out of the bed she shared with her and Ella. Pretending to be asleep, Cream opened her eyes just enough to watch Amy slip her dress on, and then she was out the door. Slightly taken aback, Cream blinked and slowly sat up, yawning tiredly, wishing she were asleep. Looking at the clock, she realized it was past three a.m., and she was quickly taken over with fear. Like many young children, she hated being up late. It scared her, being the only one, except Amy, to be awake.

Pushing the covers and fear from her, Cream stood up, decided to let Cheese sleep, and followed silently after Amy. She didn't know where the pink hedgehog was, but when she didn't find her wandering around the house like she sometimes did, Cream decided to check the park. Amy had gone to the park late at night once. Cream had no idea why; she just knew it as a fact. She had followed Amy for a while until she saw the park, and then tiredness had overcome her and she had gone back home.

But tonight, she wanted to know what Amy was doing. So the rabbit set off, into the dark night, quickly noting that the moon was absent tonight, as were the hiding stars. Cream shivered in her thin jacket, telling herself over and over that there was nothing to be afraid of, that just because everything looked dark didn't mean something bad was going to happen.

When she finally reached the park and saw Amy talking to Sonic, her eyes went huge.

Sonic and Amy were there, talking together, smiling at one another, and Cream gasped. Sonic's eyes weren't resentful, and she could see his green eyes even from where she stood, for the moon was coming out from behind a storm cloud. He looked like he was in love.

"Amy?" She would later come to hate herself for saying Amy's name, rather than watching to see what happened, to see if Amy's story would all add up in the end. But she didn't think that far, so she stammered out her friend's name.

"Cream?"

She watched as both Sonic and Amy lifted their heads in alarm, and suddenly Sonic was pulling away from Amy, who, Cream suddenly realized, had been wrapped in his arms. Her eyes filled with hope, even after the cobalt hedgehog took off in the opposite direction. Excitement filled her blood veins. Had Sonic finally admitted his love to Amy?

"Uh, Amy…?" she started as the wind rushed off. She tried not to sound too hopeful, just in case.

"Cream…He…" Cream could hardly stop herself from shaking.

"What happened?" the bunny squealed, rushing up towards Amy and bounding in place.

"Well…" Amy answered slowly, "I think he likes me!"

Cream stopped bounding. She raised a confused eyebrow, saying as she did so,

"Yeah, we've established that. What did he do?"

"Well…You see, I came out here to think things through, about you know…the beach." Cream allowed herself to grow excited again, even though she was vaguely aware of Amy's empty eyes. Maybe Sonic _hadn't_ said anything. Maybe Amy was irked at the hedgehog for leaving her, _again_.

But she didn't allow herself to think like that. Not yet.

"And when I entered the park, there was Sonic, in a tree!" Cream gasped.

"Keep going!" she insisted, eager.

"I'll tell you on the way back, Cream," Amy replied, putting on her motherly face. "It's late. Why aren't you in bed?"

The bunny considered telling Amy the truth; that she had noticed Amy leave and wanted to know where she had walked off to. But something was holding her back, and even though she hated being dishonest, she replied casually,

"I was thirsty, and I noticed you weren't at home, so…" At least it was partly true, Cream figured. She had been thirsty. That's why she had been awake in bed in the first place. And she had noticed Amy wasn't home…

"But go on!" Cream urged, not wanting to be caught in her little white lie. "What happened next?" Amy laughed, a dead laugh. Cream decided not to notice it.

"Well, when I saw Sonic I decided I wanted to thank him," Amy said, in what sounded like a pained voice. Cream mentally bit her lip. So far nothing sounded too promising, and the two continued walking back towards Chris's home, Amy's speed being quick, Cream's short, for she wanted to hear the full story in detail. "So I walked up to his tree," Amy continued, "And said, 'Hey, Sonic! You weren't at supper, and I wanted to thank you.' And Sonic jumped down from the tree, and he said, 'Your welcome, Ames-"'

"Ames?" Cream cried, a grin popping onto her face. Amy frowned.

"Well, erm, yeah," Amy awkwardly answered. "Yeah, he sometimes calls me Ames." She scratched the back of her neck, like Sonic sometimes did when he was feeling out of place.

"Really?" Cream breathed, surprised. "I had no idea."

"Well, others call me Ames," Amy replied stubbornly. "It doesn't mean anything." Cream snorted.

"Aw, come on, Amy!" she teased. "Of course it does! Why are you so…out of character right now?" Amy stopped, frozen in her tracks. "I mean, you're not acting right. You'd only act this way if Sonic had, you know…ignored you, or something like that."

"That's right," Amy whispered, as if she was just realizing this herself. "You're right, Cream. I'm not in character. And it's because he doesn't care about me." Cream blinked.

"Sure he does!" the rabbit chortled nervously. "Amy, how many times do I have to tell you, he's just shy?"

"But, Cream," Amy hoarsely replied. "He ran away. You saw him."

"He always runs away-"

"My point exactly," Amy snapped, and Cream looked down. This wasn't going well at all. Amy sighed, and put a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry, Cream," she muttered wearily. "I'm just really tired, that's all. It's been a long day."

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Cream replied politely, although she was aching to hear the whole story. "It's between you and Sonic."

"Yes," Amy said. "It's between me and Sonic." The pink hedgehog began walking again, and Cream followed behind dumbly, her head down. If only Sonic wasn't so shy…

* * *

"And then she just started walking off!" Cream cried, tears shimmering in her eyes as she explained the previous night to Tails. The kitsune stared off to space, his look serious. "It's all my fault, Tails. I didn't try to make her sad!"  
"I don't think it was your fault," Tails replied thoughtfully, looking at Cream with mixed emotions. "Don't go there. There's something we're both not understanding." Cream nodded, gasping for breath. She didn't want to cry in front of Tails. Now wasn't the time.

"Then what do you think is going on?" Cream questioned, and Tails shrugged.

"You know Amy better than I do," the fox admitted. "If she's not telling you anything, we'll have to figure it out ourselves."

"You could ask Sonic," Cream pointed out. "You know him really well. You're closer to him than me and Amy." Tails sighed, looking tired.

"I doubt he'd tell me a thing," Tails answered sadly. "Every time I ask him what he thinks of Amy, he says, 'She's cool.' That's all. And then he changes the subject or runs off. He's not one to like romance-y conversations."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Cream sighed, and slid down to the floor in Tails room. It was about eight in the morning; she had woken up the fox that earliest she felt she could without him being too tired to register anything. She and everyone else knew that Tails was not a morning person in the slightest.

A knock on the door leading up to the room made the two look up, and Sonic poked his head through the door, grinning at his find.

"Hey kids," he said smoothly. "Time to eat. Ella's been wondering where ya are Cream. I said I'd find you."

"Thank you, Sonic," Cream replied pleasantly, pretending that she hadn't just been talking about Sonic with Tails, as she stood up. She reached a hand down and helped Tails to his feet as well.

"Hey, Sonic," Tails started, "where were ya last night? I didn't hear ya come home."

"Just out," Sonic answered casually. The fox and rabbit decided not to mention what they knew he was doing at three that morning.


	3. Letting Go

List: Sonic5521, SpeedAngel9294, IHeartSonAmy, CherrleTheChicken, SonamyRules159, Annabelle Rose the Hedgehog, and SonamyGirll12!

Heh…um, yeah. After like, what, three months? I come back with this thing…heh. Yeah, well, oh well. At least I finally came up with something, eh? Anyway, thank you all so much for your support!...that you had three months ago, that is…love you all! Onwards, march! (FYI: this chapter is set a little after episode 20 of Sonic X. They are still on the boat.)

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Chapter three

Letting Go

The waves rolled gently, slowly, making the pink hedgehog tired as she continued staring out into the vast ocean. Seagulls chirped in the distance, announcing from their presence that some sort of island was nearby. The sun had just gone down about thirty minutes earlier, making the sky turn thousands of colors and sparkle against the sea. She had watched this take place, alone, for the rest of the Team had been below deck playing some sort of card game.

_'Beautiful,' _she mused. _'It's so beautiful.'_

Her mind drifting, she continued staring at the rolling waves. What would it be like, she wondered, to _be_ a wave? It was a random thought, she knew, but sometimes she knew that the random things in life kept her sane. Like Cream's random smile she'd send her way, as if to say that she-if not anyone else-cared. Or when Tails would randomly go up to her and say hi, ask her how her day was going. Or when Sonic…

Sonic. She gritted her teeth. These last few days…the hedgehog, her supposable boyfriend, had been driving her _insane_. He'd gone haywire when they had first stepped foot on the boat, and he was still acting a bit strange, even after learning how to relax from all those older people. Especially when he was around her. It was as if he was trying to avoid her. Sure, she knew they couldn't be close friends because of Eggman, but couldn't he at least say hi, like Tails did? Sonic knew at least that she wasn't crazy. Tails thought so. So why was Sonic avoiding her like this? Had he suddenly lost interest?

Amy groaned. This relationship with Sonic…it was so hard to keep going, to keep pushing. Half the time, Amy knew Sonic loved her. But the other half…

"I am a wave," she mused softly to herself, staring down into the water. "My emotions roll up and down, the relationship shifts all the time…"

"Sounds pretty stressful to me," a voice suddenly said from behind her, and she whirled around, coming face to face with none other than Sonic.

"Sonic?" she squeaked, utterly surprised to see him of all people. "W-what are you doing here?" He chuckled, a warm sound from the back of his throat, and she suddenly felt calmer than she had felt during the whole trip as he put an arm around her shoulder, gazing out into the ocean along with her.

"Can't I come an' see my girlfriend when I want?" His voice was as soft as the breeze, teasing at her lovingly. Glancing at the pink hedgehog beside him, a sudden wave of love overcame his soul, and he pulled her closer, feeling the need to protect her from anyone and anything. At the movement, Amy blushed, loving the feeling, but also a bit irked. How could he just come back days later and act like nothing had changed?

"So…" she started slowly, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. "What was that scene all about a few days ago?" Sonic visibly tensed.

"Whatta mean?" he asked, playing dumb, and he turned to her, putting on a face she usually couldn't resist.

"Don't play stupid," she snapped, her voice still low so as not to draw attention from the others. If there was one thing she knew, she had to stay quiet. They couldn't risk the others seeing them like this. "A few days ago you got completely out a character. You said you thought I was the cutest thing you'd ever seen! What was that for? To remind me that I hardly see you as it is? You were…you were acting like you were drunk!" She pulled away from him, emotions overpowering her as she turned from him, huffing. "You're the one who says we can't blow our cover. And yet-"

"Ames, I wasn't out of character," Sonic interrupted forcefully. "I did what I would do to get off the darn boat. I pretended to fool you so you could damage the boat with your hammer-"

"You think I wanted to be part of your stupid plan?" she screeched, her voice rising in spite of herself. "Sonic, first off, what if who Tails and Cream think I am was really me at that time? What if it hurt me-?"

"But it didn't hurt you, because you already know I love you."

"But it did, you idiot!" Tears were now pouring down her cheeks, but she stayed turned, away from Sonic. "Sonic…sometimes, I think I'm turning into the Amy Tails and Cream and the others see. Sometimes I have the urge to just…use that hammer, like the made-up Amy does. Sometimes I just want to scream and for once, capture you. Win your heart."

"Amy." His voice was stern, and he tried pulling her into his arms, but she merely slapped at him, stalking further away from him, still not facing him. "Amy, come on now. You know you aren't turning into your stalker-childish pretend ways. And you know you've already captured me."

"You don't understand…" she muttered, wiping away tears that Sonic wished he could've wiped away. Biting his lip, he tried reaching for her again, this time succeeding as he pulled her into his arms. For a moment he merely listened to her labored breathing, processing everything she had said, allowing her to calm down within him.

It was times like these, when sometimes he wondered if he'd made the right choice; if he should've allowed Amy to come into his life, control his heart like she did. If Amy had stayed his friend, than they wouldn't have to go through any of this. He wouldn't have to remind her once in two months that yes, he still loved her, and yes, he would never, ever give up. This night-this time- it would be pleasant. Amy would not be crying in his arms.

But then: she would not be in his arms, _ever_.

"Once you've established who you are, you can't change," he murmured into her ear, hoping to bring her comfort. A bitter laugh escaped her, and she looked up at him, her eyes full of anger.

"Sonic, we're young," she explained. "We're young, and when you're young you're constantly changing physically and emotionally. How do _you_ know who I am? How do you know I'm not changing into my worst nightmare, into _our_ worst nightmare?"

"Because I don't see it," he answered. "When I look at you, on nights like tonight, I see the exact same girl I fell in love with, not some young stalker."

"Then you're not looking," she stated, emotionless. "I see you so little these days. You're not 'allowed' to be with me. And Sonic, when I'm in character and chasing you, do you have any idea how much I want to catch you- not because of my made up character- but because I love you?" Sonic's heart stopped at her words. Love. She still loved him. After all he'd done, after he'd ignored her on purpose these last few days…she still hadn't gone and removed him from her soul. "I want you, Sonic, in my arms, not out of them, and I don't get that because we can't be together. And my made up character is the same way. She wants to be in your arms, but you won't allow it."

"Amy, stop it," he whined, growing impatient. "Every time I get to spend time with you, we get into one of these conversations. 'Let's tell the others,' you say, or, 'Eggman won't hurt me,' or something stupid. Something that could cost your life."

"My life is you," she cried, her voice cracking. "But I don't get you. Haven't you been listening to me?"

"Yes, Amy!" he snapped angrily, almost pulling away from her so he could pace around, a way that he often coped. "You think you're turning into crazed-Amy, but _you are not_. Take my word for it. And if you _really_ want to spend time with me, why aren't you now? Why are we arguing and not kissing, for crying out loud?"

"Because!" she cried, pulling away a second time. Shaking- from cold or anger, she would never know- she wiped away unwanted tears, gasping for breath as she stared at her boyfriend, her secret boyfriend that was scared of outcomes that wouldn't happen, she was sure. "Because this isn't enough." Her second sentence came out as a whisper, hardly heard by Sonic, and he blinked, surprised.

"This isn't enough?" he repeated, confused. "Okay, sure, then what do you want us to do? Do you want to _die_?"

"You worry so much," she fretted, teeth gritted. "You worry over such stupid things. If you care so much about Tails, why do you still let him follow you around and call himself your brother? You love him too, and yet he's in just as much danger as I am, if not more because you give him the time of day."

"And that's why I don't give you the time of day."

"Oh. But you're willing for Tails to die?"

"N-no…" Sighing, Sonic rubbed his forehead, angered at tonight's outcome, wishing he could be kissing Amy instead of yelling at her from ten feet away. "Tails can handle himself, Amy."

"Oh, sure he can," she muttered sarcastically. "The eight year old has the best fighting skills of us all."

"He has the brains," Sonic protested. "He could get himself out of trouble."

"Sonic, will you open your eyes, for once?" Amy begged, clenching her fists, than opening them, again and again. "If you cared for him as much as you claim, you'd be ignoring him." Sonic sighed, irked.

"Amy, I thought we were talking about _us_, not me and Tails."

"We are," she objected. "Here's what I'm saying: either choose to at least make us 'friends', so I'm allowed to see you on a regular basis, or this relationship has got to _end_. It's _killing_ me. One or the other."

Sonic opened his mouth, and then closed it, stunned, hurt. He blinked once, then twice, and took a step back, registering what she had said, hardly hearing the waves below, or the seagulls, or Amy's deep breathing as she stared back at him, stern, stoic.

"End it?" he whispered, shocked, even a bit scared. "Ames, I…I love you. Why end it? Why give up?"

"Because…" She looked down, staring at her feet, suddenly acting shy and insecure. "Because love shouldn't be a secret. It's either there, or it isn't."

"It has to be in our case," he chocked, and he closed the space in between them, slowly at first, and then he was running to her, cupping her chin with his hand. "Don't do this. Come on, Ames. We'll find a way to keep this going, I swear."

"By meeting once every month instead of two?" she fought back wearily, emotions whirling inside of her like a tsunami. "Sonic…I love you. I love you so much that I can't take watching you pretend to ignore me one day, and then kiss me the next."

"Two months ago you said that didn't matter; you said you knew it was fake emotions I showed towards you," he muttered, shock now being replaced by anger. "You can't do this."

"Sure I can," she shot back, irked, and she looked up at him with fiery eyes. "I can do what I want. It's a free country, and I think we need a break from each other."

"Amy, we've already had a two month break from each other," he said, pleading. "I don't want a longer one. Please, Amy, think this through before jumping so drastically." He gripped her harder, trying to knock some sense into her.

Shrugging him off, she took a step back, eyeing him suspiciously.

"No, Sonic," she whispered. The breeze played with her spines, a sight Sonic usually adored, but he didn't notice as he stared at her, eyes full of disdain and sorrow. "I need a break. So that our pretend relationship can be the real relationship."

"How will that solve anything?" he questioned. "How will going into a state that already hurts, _not_ hurt you?"

"Because I won't expect you to actually care," she answered quickly, her mind already made up. "I won't have any hope, because it will all be gone. How can a person have hope in something that isn't there?"

"So…I can't even hope we'll be back together someday?" he asked nonchalantly, pretending to not notice his pounding heart at the thought of never holding her in his arms again. He crossed his arms across his chest, indicating that she was not welcome at the moment. Amy bit her lip, looking away.

"Maybe, someday," she answered quietly. "Please, try to understand…"

"How can I?"

"Sometimes, you have to give up what you love. It's part of growing up."

"What are you, some sort of know-it-all?" he growled. He turned away from her, heading down the stairs to where he knew the others were sure to be, and, a nice warm bed where he could sleep. "Call me when you find your senses," he shot back at her as he stalked off, fuming.

"Sonic, come on!" she called crossly after him, but he noticed that she didn't run after him; she didn't try to stop him. Bumping into something, Sonic grunted, not even noticing what or who he had run into as he made his way as far as he could from his _ex-girlfriend_.

Emotions ran through her at an intense level as she watched him leave, listening for the slam of his bedroom door. Upon hearing it, she turned to the sea.

"I hate you!" she cried out, yelling at the wind and the sea and Sonic, and unknowingly, herself. "I hate you, and I will not come crying back, begging for your stupid love. You can bet on it."

A long, dreadful silence followed. Nothing could be heard. And then, very softly, the sound of someone crying. And though he lay down below in his own dark room, still angry, he knew she was up above, crying, wishing there could be another way. He thought of getting up and comforting her, being the one to give in and ask for another chance.

_'We'll find a way to keep this going, I swear,' _he heard himself saying a minute ago. _Ames, I love you. Why end it?'_

But even as he replayed the conversation in his mind, he stayed where he lay, stubborn as ever. She had ended it; now she could fix it.

Secretly, he bit his lip. Because really; he didn't know if she _would_ fix it.


End file.
